How to Rope a McCoy (Hell Yeah!) (8 page)

Cato
bent over to dig up the interesting rock and when she did, something nudged her
in the back and she almost jumped out of her skin. “What?” She scrambled
around, trying to get away from the ghost of a spelunker or perhaps the irate
deed holder of this amazing slice of Texas.

But
when she managed to get a few feet away and looked around, she was face to nose
with a huge cow. “Gracious, you scared me!” Then she got a better look at her
assailant and was horrified to find that it wasn’t a cow, it was a bull with
horns spreading out at least three feet on either side of his head. “Go away!”
she yelled.

Apparently,
she didn’t intimidate the bull as much as he did her, because instead of
retreating, he advanced. “What do you want?” she asked in desperation. “I don’t
have any hay or whatever it is that you eat!” She just hoped he didn’t have a
taste for Louisiana girls who’d been sun-kissed by a hot Texas day.

“Get
back, you monster!” Cato tried to push on the animal’s nose, but he blew out
his breath on her. She wished she could hear—was he grunting or was he
growling? She couldn’t be sure.

“Great,”
she whispered. “How am I going to get out of this?”

Cato
didn’t have the answer to that question. All she could think about was running.
The big bovine jerked his head up as if he was listening. And then to her
horror, he began to paw the ground. “Oh, shit.”

Desperately,
she looked around for a way out. There was no way she could make it back to the
jeep or she didn’t think she could. Surveying her surroundings, her gaze landed
on a tree she could possibly climb. It wasn’t the perfect solution, but maybe
she could wait the behemoth out and he’d go away on his own and she could get
back to exploring…
nah, that
ship had probably sailed.
She’d be too nervous to look around now. Not that she was giving up—oh, no.
Cato fully intended to come back with reinforcements. Perhaps her boss, Floyd
Redford, would come back with her.

Now
for the fancy moves.

Taking
a deep breath, she faked a move—left—right. When the bull turned his head one
way, she broke the other and took off like the devil himself was after her.

Meanwhile…

Heath
let Tempest have his head. There was nothing better than riding a spirited
horse, unless it was a spirited woman. “Whoa.” He pulled back on the reins as
the stallion danced around.

Screech.
Screech. Screech.

Heath
stopped to let a small ground squirrel cross in front of him. And swear to God,
the little creature stopped and turned around to fuss at him, raising up on its
hind legs, front paw tilted up—just a chattering. He snorted. Damn little thing
reminded him of Cato Vincent, except Cato was a billion times sexier. But she
had moxie, just like this small rodent. “Yeah, yammer on. You’re full of
prunes.”

At
Heath’s chastisement, the ballsy little varmint vamoosed. He smiled. Things
were looking up. Jaxson’s leg was healing nicely. Philip had finally succeeded
in getting Holly McBride to admit they hadn’t ever dated so the prosecution’s
theory that Smith was killed in a fit of jealousy wasn’t going to hold water.
And, he had something to look forward to tonight. Jimmy was picking him up and
they were going out on the town together. Being with Jimmy
Dushku
always made him feel better.

Heath’s
life was well-ordered, conservative and family oriented. His best friend was an
international playboy, a multimillionaire and knew everybody worth knowing. Why
Jimmy hung out with someone boring like him, he didn’t know. At least Jimmy was
coming to the BBQ. His presence would make the rest of it more bearable.

Only
a week away…

A
week is a long time to wait when you dread something so much.

“Shoo!”

Shoo?

“What
the fuck?” Someone was nearby. On his land. A female someone. And it didn’t
sound like either one of his sisters. In fact…hell! He was imagining things.
Just because he’d thought the squirrel reminded him of Cato, now he was hearing
her everywhere. Shit. What did that mean?

“Giddy-up.”
He headed up toward the foothills. Whoever it was, they’d better have a damn
good explanation.
McCoys
didn’t take kindly to people
just coming on to their land without good cause.

“Please
go away. I’ll bring you back a treat. I promise.”

Damn.
Surely not. Heath slowed Tempest down. If he could’ve coaxed the horse into
tiptoeing, he would have. What met his eyes should’ve caused him to laugh out
loud if wasn’t for the familiarity of that attractive profile.

T-Bone,
Jaxson’s old pet bull, had a woman treed. Yep, actually treed. And the closer
he got, the prettier she got. Today her hair was pulled up on top of her head
in a little whale spout pony tail that bobbed every time she bent over to
negotiate with the bull.

“You’re
a pretty bull, but I’m scared of you. Please leave.”

Good
Lord! He let out a long hard sigh. How in the hell had this happened? How had
she found him? Well, there was only one way to find out. Edging Tempest
forward, he yelled at T-Bone. “Get outta here, go find a cow to romance and
leave this little heifer alone. She’s trouble!” He knew she couldn’t hear him,
but the sentiment stood.

Riding
up closer to her, he edged between her and the bull. As soon as he came within
her eyeshot she did something totally unexpected. “Heath, you’re here! Save
me!” Before he knew what was happening, she launched herself at him and he
caught her handily. Throwing her arms around his neck, she began to rain kisses
all over his face. “I’m so glad to see you!”

“Well,
I’m certainly surprised to see you.” He realized she didn’t hear him. She still
had her face too close to his.

“Oh,
oh, I jumped on you. I’m too heavy, did I squish you?” Then to add fuel to the
already burning fire in his body, she proceeded to feel him up, checking for
nonexistent injuries.

Even
though it was against every primal male impulse he possessed, Heath refrained
from ravishing her. She was cradled in his arms, sitting sidesaddle, still
clinging to him like the kudzu vines which were consuming southern climes at an
alarming rate. Untangling himself from her embrace, he pushed her back far
enough so she could see him speak. “No, you didn’t hurt me. Damn, hold on a
minute. Would you care to enlighten me as to why you’re trespassing on my
property?”

She
was still patting him on the cheek like he was a favorite toy she often cuddled
in bed. Damn, he had to control his thoughts.

It
seemed like comprehension finally dawned, her eyebrows went up. “You own
Highlands?”

He
nodded. “And, of course, you didn’t know this. Right?”

She
didn’t need to possess the sense of hearing to catch the sarcasm in his voice.
“No, I did not, thank you very much.” She scooted back and almost fell off his
horse, flailing around until he caught her to his hard chest.

Heath
tried to ignore the luscious tits pressed against him. “Don’t give me that, you
tracked me down, followed me. You knew I’d be here.”

Irritation
flashed through Cato. “Don’t flatter yourself, Sundance. I’m here as part of my
job.”

Heath
sneered. “Job? What kind of job do you have that requires you to go on another
person’s land and harass their livestock?”

Okay,
enough was enough. She got right in his face. “I wasn’t the one doing the
harassing. Your vicious bull attacked me!”

“That
bull is a big pet. All he wanted was some loving.” All things needed loving,
even him. Although he’d die before he admitted that reality to anyone, much
less this annoying
female—never
mind that he wanted
her more than oxygen.

“He
has a strange way of showing it,” she countered. “And the job I have is with
the Texas Cultural Center. I just left Dead Man’s Hole over near Marble Falls
and I came this way looking for possible locations for the lost San Saba mine.”

If
Cato thought her words would appease him, she was wrong. His face darkened like
a thundercloud. “I’m sick of hearing about that stupid mine. My brother is up
on murder charges and somehow it’s tied to that fairytale mine.”

What
he said took Cato by surprise. “What? I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She placed her
hand on his chest. The realization that she was still sitting in his lap atop
of a big horse hit her. “Maybe I should just get down and leave you alone.”

“That
sounds like a good plan.” He began to ride toward the fence line, anxious to
get her on the road. If she’d wondered just a little farther, she’d have seen
that damn yellow crime tape still draped across the old cave entrance. This
whole place gave him the creeps. A man had died and Philip was on trial for
murder. The spot was cursed as far as Heath was concerned.

“I
can walk,” Cato protested.

She
could, but he was enjoying holding her, not that he would ever admit it. “Why
do you think the lost San Saba mine is located on my land?” He remembered what
Zane had said about needing someone who could help them with the research.

“Do
you really want to know?” She crossed her arms over her ample breasts, trying
to maintain a sense of decorum while sitting in his lap—so close, yet so far.
At his raised eyebrow, she relented. “I’ve studied dozens of sources from old
diaries, to letters, to Spanish land grants. This area seems like a prime
candidate because of its proximity to Enchanted Rock and Sandy Creek.”

“And
what would you do with the information if you found it?” Heath knew he had a
problem with trust, he could admit that much. But what she knew could prove
useful.

“Nothing
mercenary, I assure you. Our organization is interested in preserving the past
and proving historical facts, not taking advantage of people or making a
profit.”

“Pardon
me if I have my doubts.” He didn’t mean to be disagreeable. Well yes, he did,
but she turned him inside out. “You need to be careful, though. This is no
place for a woman to be wandering around alone.”

Cato
could sense a change in him. Bolstered by the more relaxed look on his face,
she decided to go for it. “Would you go with me to check out the mine?”

“No,
I will not!”

He
shouted at her, she could tell by the vibrations of his breath on her face.
“Okay. Well, could I bring my boss back to have a look, with your permission,
of
course.
”  

Holding
her was taking a toll on Heath. He remembered how sweet her lips had tasted and
how good it felt to hold her on the dance floor. “I don’t know, I’ll think
about it.” That was about as much of a concession as he could stand to make.
Considering everything from his attraction to her—which could go nowhere—to
Philip’s trial and their inauspicious introduction at the punch bowl, Heath
thought he was being generous.

“You
do that.” Courageously, she grinned up at him and rubbed the tip of her finger
over his bottom lip. “You’re so handsome.”

“Stop
that.” He swatted at her hand like it was a pesky fly. “Give me your boss’s
name and number and I’ll give him a call when I make up my mind.” If he had
that info, he could get the scoop Philip needed and maybe not have to expose
himself to Cato’s considerable charms. By this time, Tempest had carried them
to the fence and they were right by her jeep. He held her hand while she
dismounted and found her footing.

“Not
necessary, Sundance.” The bit of distance between them made her brave.
Carefully, she climbed back through the fence, managing to do so unscathed this
time. “You can let me know at the BBQ.”

Heath
looked stunned. “My BBQ?”

“Yea.”
She gave him a saucy look over her shoulder and put a bit of a swing to her
step. “Your family invited me. Isn’t that nice? I’ll be spending the
weekend—with you.”

*  *  *

Floyd
Redford leaned over his desk, reaching for the notes that he insisted Cato
write down for him. “Heath McCoy, you say?”

“Yes.”
Cato nodded. She’d told him the name twice. Why was he acting so strange? “I
didn’t get to do any exploring at all. Mr. McCoy insists we get proper
permission and he was right,” she agreed begrudgingly. “So, if you could draft
a letter, I’d appreciate it.” Despite her bravado, Cato intended to do things
correctly this time. If she’d had any idea the land belonged to Heath, she
would’ve never…well, she couldn’t say she wouldn’t have done the same thing,
but at least she would have thought twice about it—and worn something more low
cut.

“I’ll
need all of your findings, your resources and any maps you might have access
to.”

Now
hold on a minute
, Cato thought. She wasn’t ready to just fork over
everything. “My research is private. It was done on my own time, prior to my
employment with you.” She wasn’t saying she wouldn’t share, but she wasn’t
ready to give him full access to all of her papers either.

Redford
appeared to back off a little. “I understand, but if you could see your way to
sharing some of it with me, I’m sure we could do more together than apart.” He
gave her a suave, slick smile which made Cato shiver a bit.

“I’m
sure we can work something out,” she hastily offered, anxious to get out of his
office. Cato hated that she felt this way. Her time with Savannah and the
others at the Louisiana Cultural Center had been so enjoyable, she yearned for
that same experience here. Maybe it would get better. She hoped so. But Cato
chose not to mention the invitation to the McCoy BBQ. She feared that Mr.
Redford would insist on accompanying her and that would definitely put a cramp
in her style.

Hastily,
she made her escape. He had seemed amenable to the suggestions she’d made about
Dead Man’s
Hole
and had given her leeway to draw up a
proposal for the board. Cato was glad there was an overseeing governing body.
It made her feel more comfortable with Mr. Redford.